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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bat — the animal
  12. board — to get on
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — money
  16. rule — a law
  17. capital — a city
  18. march — music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. board — a committee
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rule — government
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com